Prairie Band Casino & Resort Charity Classic
Firekeeper Golf Course
Mayetta, Kansas
September 11, 2015
First-Round News & Notes
MAYETTA, Kan., September 11, 2015 - Casey Grice (College Station, Texas) started with birdies on three of her first four holes and closed with a tap in birdie on 18 to post a 5-under 67 to grab the first round lead at the Prairie Band Casino & Resort Charity Classic at Firekeeper Golf Course. Grice will likely secure an LPGA Tour card with a win.
Wind was a factor on Friday as gusts reached 22 miles-per-hour with a consistent wind throughout the day of 15 mph.
After the flurry of birdies to start, Grice made four pars in a row and then dropped another birdie on nine to make the turn at 4-under. She quickly made birdie on 10 to get to 5-under and then her only blemish of the day came on 11 to fall back to 4-under.
“I hit it to 5-feet on one and then chipped in on two by landing the ball just short of the pin and it took one hop and then dropped,” said the 23-year-old Grice. “On four, I almost reached the green in two and had a short up-and-down for birdie so it was a great way to start.”
On 18, the tees were forward and Grice blasted a long drive to leave herself a short approach.
“I only had 60 yards to the pin since the hole was playing downwind,” said Grice. “I hit it to a foot and that is always a nice way to finish.”
Grice, who finished in a tie for 27th last year in Mayetta, is currently 11th on the Volvik Race for the Card money list, just $614 behind No. 10.
“This round is huge because I’m 11th on the money list and I know I need some strong finishes coming in (to earn an LPGA card),” said Grice. “You can’t think about that while you’re on the golf course, but it’s great to be in good position after day one.”
Grice was very complimentary of Firekeeper Golf Course.
“It’s very fun to play because you have to be imaginative on a lot of holes,” said Grice. “You have to play a lot of different shots so it is a shot makers course. I was having to work the ball both ways and it is fun to execute.”
JUNEAU ROOMING WITH THE DEFENDING CHAMP: For the second week in a row, Sara Maude-Juneau (Quebec, Canada) posted a strong first round. Last week in Sioux Falls, she carded a 5-under on day one and she posted a 4-under 68 on Friday.
“Today was fun, I had a good start, made some birdies and didn’t make many mistakes,” said Juneau. “In general, I am happy with the way I’m playing.”
Juneau finished in a tie for second in Mayetta last year so you might think that the course fits her game well. Not necessarily the case.
“The course is actually playing totally different than last year,” said Juneau. “Last year was really dry, this year the course is wet. I had a lot of hybrids into greens and the course was playing longer.”
After her strong start last week, Juneau finished 71-72-72 to fall to a tie for 20th.
“I had a good start last week, but just didn’t bring it in,” said Juneau. “I just want to take it day-by-day and work on my consistency. I just don’t want to get ahead of myself. It’s hard because people congratulate you and hopefully I can put it all together, not just one good round.”
OKLAHOMA SOONER IN THE HUNT: Anne-Catherine Tanguay (Quebec, Canada), who played four years at Oklahoma, had one of her best rounds of the year with a 4-under 68 on Friday.
“I hit some good putts on one and two, had about 25-feet on both, and that really got my round going,” said the rookie Tanguay. “I was really solid off the tee and that allowed me to hit some good shots into the green.”
Tanguay had a few hiccups mid-round, but finished with birdies on 12, 14 and 16 to stand one shot back.
“The early birdies were just a bonus, I really try not to put much pressure on myself and do my best to go low,” said Tanguay. “I like this course because it is challenging off the tee and that is one of my strong points. I hit 14 fairways and that is key because the rough is thick.”
Tanguay hit a wall after a 9-over 81 in Milwaukee and decided to take some time off. She skipped the Boston event and went home.
“Halfway through the year, I wasn’t in a good place. My state of mind on the golf course wasn’t right,” said Tanguay. “I talked with my parents, friends and my coach and they were all telling me the same thing so I thought I’d better listen. In Sioux Falls last week, I tried to have the right state of mind on the course and keep calm.”
It worked as Tanguay finished in a tie for 20th, her third best finish of the year.
“Ultimately, I just needed to hit the reset button,” said Tanguay. “When I come out here I need to be happy to be out and playing golf.”
Tanguay’s lone top ten finish was a tie for seventh at the Island Resort Championship, which she said is a similar course to Firekeeper. Tanguay also said that playing golf at Oklahoma has prepared her for the wind.
SEEING LPGA FRIENDS IN MAJORS IS MOTIVATION: Vicky Hurst (Melbourne, Florida) has seen all the pictures of her LPGA friends playing in France at the Evian Championship, the final major of the year, this week. She said seeing the social media posts is motivation to continue to work hard for a return to the LPGA.
“I love Kansas, but when you watch the LPGA girls playing in majors it makes me want to work even harder and just gives me motivation to keep playing hard to get back to the LPGA,” said Hurst after a 3-under 69 on Friday. “It’s not easy here on the Epson Tour so the motivation helps.”
Hurst dominated the Epson Tour in 2008 and has played on the LPGA ever since until this year. She has nine career top 10 finishes on the LPGA and played on the 2011 U.S. Solheim Cup team.
This year, she ranks 15th on the Volvik Race for the Card money list and needs a few strong finishes down the stretch to earn back her full card. She won the W.B. Mason Championship two events ago.
Hurst said the biggest thing on Friday was dealing with the wind.
“I knew it was going to be windy so I just had to stick with my targets and not freak out over the wind,” said Hurst, who made four birdies and just one bogey. “I think I hit some really good tee shots considering the wind and then I was able to give myself opportunities.”
What’s the pressure like this time of year with so much on the line, Vicky?
“Thanks for reminding me,” said Hurst while chuckling.
FIRST HOLE-IN-ONE IN AMERICA: Chie Arimura (Kumamoto, Japan) has made three aces in her decorated career in Japan that includes 13 wins on the LPGA Tour of Japan (JLPGA). On Friday, she made her first hole-in-one while playing in the United States on the 16th hole at Firekeeper Golf Course.
With an 8-iron in hand and an adjusted yardage of 138, Arimura landed the ball five feet short of the pin and let it roll in.
“When I saw it rolling towards the pin, I was like ‘are you serious?’,” said Ariumura. “It was definitely a beautiful shot. It landed short of the pin and then we didn’t see it go in so I was like ‘is it in’ and it was.”
The ace helped Arimura, who ranks 21st on the Volvik Race for the Card money list, make the turn at 3-under. She stumbled on her back nine with two bogeys and a double to finish at even-par for the day.
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